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Historic Oakville statue stolen

A 5-metre bronze statue of iconic Ukrainian Taras Shevchenko has been chopped off at the
feet by vandals and carted away.

By Jim WilkesStaff Reporter

Mon., Jan. 1, 2007

For a long-dead poet and artist, it was the unkindest cut of all.

A 5-metre bronze statue of iconic Ukrainian Taras Shevchenko, erected in an Oakville park named for him in 1951, has been chopped off at the feet by vandals and carted away.

Why? The president of the foundation that administers the park and a downtown Toronto museum dedicated to Shevchenko's life fears it's as simple as thieves hoping to cash in on the value of the statue for scrap metal.

Maybe $10,000, maybe more.

"It's a terrible tragedy, not only for the Ukrainian-Canadian community, but for Canada as a whole," said Bill Harasym. "He was one of the greats of recent cultural history.

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"He was born in feudal slavery and orphaned by the time he was 11 years old, but he rose to become the greatest son of Ukraine and is considered the father of the modern Ukrainian language.

"He was a humanist, someone who could have lived in the lap of luxury with his talent, but he never deserted his people. He lived a very frugal, hard life."

In July 1951, 90 years after Shevchenko's death, more than 20,000 people gathered at the park, on Dundas St. W. near Fourth Line, to see the Soviet-made statue unveiled.

The statue, a gift to the 500,000 Ukrainians then in Canada from the Soviet Society For Cultural Relations Abroad, was the centre of controversy at the time and for a while was under 24-hour police guard.

Erected to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Ukrainians in Canada, it stood for more than 55 years atop a 70-tonne granite base in a 6.5-hectare park, which was surrounded by another 47 hectares of parkland along Sixteen Mile Creek that once was home to a children's camp.

Lillian Carrigan, 71, owns one of the old cottages and has been volunteer caretaker of the park for about 10 years.

She arrived yesterday to find a ladder, stolen from her property, leaning against the statue's base. Ropes used to pull down the huge bronze were littered across the soggy ground. Truck tracks could still be seen in the wet grass.

"I'm heartbroken," Carrigan said. "This monument represented so much to the Ukrainian community all across Canada. It's hard to put into words."

Carrigan said she often talked to the statue as she planted flowers near its base or cut the grass.

"I'd say `Hello, Taras, how are you today?' I never felt alone as long as he was there," she said.

Although Halton Region police say the statue disappeared between Dec. 15 and Saturday, a park regular told Carrigan he saw it in place last Wednesday. Another visitor reported it missing Saturday morning.

Carrigan said it wasn't the first act of vandalism at the park.

The Taras Shevchenko Museum, opened in the park in 1952, was burned by vandals in 1988. It was later rebuilt on Bloor St. W. in Toronto.

Another smaller bronze statue of Shevchenko sitting in a chair reading a book was stolen from its base near the park entrance several years ago. So was the ornate iron gateway over the road leading to the park off Dundas St. W. Carrigan believes it, too, was stolen for its scrap value.

She said the Shevchenko Foundation has been in negotiations with Oakville officials to donate the land to the town as a public park. Developers who own property surrounding the park are also interested in the tract.

"To lose this statue, when we were ready to give the park to the Town of Oakville, is just tragic," she said.

"Sold for scrap? What else would they do with it?" said Harold Kinsley, 45, who grew up in the area and once helped look after the park. "It's bronze, so I'm sure it's worth something, but is it worth that kind of effort to bring it down? I feel bad for the older Ukrainians. This place means a lot to them."

Earlier last month, a copper statue of the Greek god Atlas was stolen from its perch in the parking lot of a North York metal fabricating company overlooking Highway 400. It was recovered three days later. Two people were charged with possession of stolen property.

Halton police said there was no indication the statue thefts were related.

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